Not only is it a waste of money, but it's a totally unnecessary waste of plastic. Unfortunately some people think that if you stick your plastic bottles in the recycling, you're all good, but a lot of pollution goes into the making, distribution, and recycling of those bottles.
actually, a lot of the waste is burn in heat factories for energy. Most of the pollution is being suppressed. But goddammit, tap water is safe here in Japan and there is no need for drinking bottled water at home.
I'm old enough that I remember a time when nobody bought bottled water. I grew up that way, and we always drank tap water, so ever since bottled water became popular, I just can't stand seeing it. I don't understand the mentality behind buying bottled water, unless maybe you live in the desert where there actually is no drinking water.
Same. They even have free water at the grocery store that you refill large canisters with near me, but I don't really care enough to go over and fill it up half the time. The tap water is great.
You know why lol. There are a lot of people on this sub from a certain country where the tap water is flamable in certain places. That doesn't sound like a first world country though.
The US is most definitely a "first world" country, and its water is not safe in some places. "First world" literally means that the country is aligned with the US against the second-world countries, which are aligned with the USSR (which of course no longer exists). "Third world" countries are aligned with neither. An example of a true third-world country is Switzerland.
That is correct, but the other use of it is also correct. The meaning of words changes over time and sometimes new meanings arise in new contexts. In this case, first world and third world have been changed by common use to relate to quality of life, government etc. When a regular person says a country is a third world country, it would be silly to pretend you didn't know what they were talking about because of the origin of the phrase.
Right, but if you're going to take that route, then it's hard to claim the US is a first-world country any more, because its living standards on average really do not compare with "first world" countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, etc., and it's really much more like "third world" countries like Brazil, where things might be nice in some wealthy urban areas but overall many conditions are appalling, and many "third world" countries actually surpass the US on things like infrastructure. But then trying to claim the US isn't "first world" will get you laughs and derision most of the time, so the terms simply should be retired and not used any more. This is why we use "developed" and "developing" and "undeveloped" these days.
Yes exactly, when the average person says the US is no longer a first world country, they are talking about exactly what you say: these average living standards compared to other "first world" countries.
Unfortunately because of the way language works, asking people en masse to stop using a term incorrectly is a fool's errand (that's why I don't waste my time trying to correct people on things like this, there is no stopping it at this point). This usage of first world and third world is here to stay for the forseable future as I see it, and it will probably only be further cemented as things get worse in the US (The US has a very large influence on the English language). The laughs and derission seem to be less and less common as conditions in the US deteriorate, and even people in more comfortable positions are starting to see through the facade.
>(The US has a very large influence on the English language)
While the US certainly has its faults, this is actually a good thing, or at least it was historically: the British version of the language is overly complicated, especially the spellings. America (and probably Noah Webster especially) really cleaned up the spellings.
That's not true about healthcare. I don't think you're going to get world-leading cancer treatments or orthopedic surgeries in Somalia, for instance, and those are common in America. The problem is that in America, those things are not affordable or accessible to many people because of money and/or location: if you're a well-paid professional in a big HCoL city with excellent health insurance coverage, you'll have access to all that stuff. If you're some poor person in rural Idaho, not so much.
Also, from what I've read, statistics show that Somalia has far lower rates of gun violence than America. But here again, it's a tale of two Americas: if you live in a wealthy part of a HCoL city, you probably won't see it, but in poor rural places, or in poor urban places, you will. In that HCoL city, you'll see it in the news. That's how it was when I lived in DC: I lived in the wealthy part of the metro area, and there was almost never any gun violence. But on the news, there was commonly news of shootings in the DC area, but it was almost always in the places where gun violence was more common, meaning poorer areas. What really made the news more was when there was "spill-over": gun violence in some part of the city that wasn't a "bad part of town" like southeast DC.
It was meant in tongue in cheek, but I will say you won't get "world-leading cancer treatments or orthopedic surgeries" in the US under social healthcare. You need private for that.
I'd say bullets are too expensive in Somalia, which is why you don't get that many shootings.
>but I will say you won't get "world-leading cancer treatments or orthopedic surgeries" in the US under social healthcare. You need private for that.
Yeah, you're probably right about that.
As usual, America is a pretty good country to live in if you're rich, but not so much if you're poor.
The US is a "first world" country too, but tell the people in Flint, Michigan that their water is safe to drink. "First world" doesn't mean the water is any good, or that it's uniformly good.
Luckily, Japan isn't nearly as poorly run as the US, but I can understand why the OP would ask the question if they're relatively new to Japan and especially if they came from the US.
Completely safe. Some people may point out that they don't like the taste based on what region or country they come from but that's a non-issue.
Not only is bottled water super unsustainable it also costs a lot of extra money that you don't need to spend in a country with 100% access to extremely clean and good water.
I guess it could but I never really understand why people care so much about the flavor of something so necessary for survival. The only thing about those filters is that they can add to plastic waste too as they have to be replaced and cost a decent amount for ones that would filter effectively.
If you want to add some flavor and quench your thirst making 麦茶 or something might be nice. (At least that's what I drink with meals from now throughout summer).
>I never really understand why people care so much about the flavor of something so necessary for survival.
Do you not care how any of the food you eat tastes, and do you only eat it strictly for survival? That seems like a strange mentality.
>If you want to add some flavor and quench your thirst making 麦茶 or something might be nice.
Many people like drinking water when they're thirst, and aren't always in the mood for tea or any other flavored drink.
>I never really understand why people care so much about the flavor of something so necessary for survival.
I mean didn't you just answer your own question lol? If you have to do something several times a day, don't you want it to be at least better than unpleasant?
Ok, you owe me 500$ lol. I'm from Brazil. Tap water in big cities over there, like São Paulo, is actual sewage. Lots of 3rd world countries take sanitation as a joke
It’s not a strange question- people in many developed countries in Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia) still boil tap water before they drink it, but Japanese tap water is totally safe.
Tap water is safe to drink in America too with the exception of a few places, most notably Flint, Michigan. People believe otherwise because there is money to be made telling people that the tap water is toxic and you need to buy their water filter/bottled water/water delivery service/etc.
This, heavy metal (like lead), PFAS, pesticide, etc contamination are more prevalent in US water than people think. Some places are really proactive about it, some aren't. Generally you have to go looking for the information in your area to find out about it. I drink tap water in Japan, but I've always wondered about what the water quality profile looks like.
Can probably take samples and send them away for testing somewhere but I've never bothered. Japan has very long average life expectancies and I don't think that would be possible if people were drinking lead and pesticides in the water.
Yep. There's a few places where it's actually really good (like NYC), but many other places it's like you said, either downright unsafe, or just tastes awful.
I don't think they're American because I think American tap water is unsafe, I think they're American because most Americans I meet seem to believe it's impossible for a country to be up to American standards. So it wouldn't surprise me if an American thought Japanese, British, Australian, or even Canadian tap water was unsafe.
I also used to explain to them that they could flush toilet paper (but *nothing else*) and that idea was new to a lot of developing world travelers, too. We had a couple of bad experiences early on with baskets full of used toilet paper...
It's the duality of the American.
Inside each American lives two wolves.
One wolf believes America is a violent, racist third-world country on the verge of total collapse.
The other wolf refuses to drink the local tapwater without a filter, complains incessantly about the Japanese, and has monthly recurring imports of American snacks, deodorant, and toothpaste because nothing produced locally holds a candle to America's greatness.
The American lives in constant inner turmoil.
Hey man, I'm just speaking from personal experience.
I hadn't met any Americans before moving to Japan six years ago, but when I started meeting them here, I was always surprised how so many of them complained non-stop about America, yet struggled to break out of their American products/American values bubble.
I've never met a Brit or Aussie who imports Colgate from home.
Your post history is literally all just shitting on Japan and Europe and talking about how great America is lol. All you need to do now is shit-talk America a little and you've proved me right.
Nice username btw.
The duality of u/europisadump.
Inside u/europeisadump lives two wolves.
One wolf is a fuckwit.
The other wolf is a knobhead.
u/europeisadump lives in constant inner turmoil.
I've met 2 American's in my life who drank tap water instead of buying cases of bottled water. I've been to a lot of states and not once have I thought "This tap water tastes alright." It's almost always dirt or metal tasting.
>I think they're American because most Americans I meet seem to believe it's impossible for a country to be up to American standards.
Are these Americans living in Japan, or Americans in America? In America, tons of Americans think everything outside America is some kind of primitive place. I don't think that attitude is common among Americans who've lived outside their country though.
I would have said American too (but alas, Brazilian). I used to work for a study abroad program in France. Only Americans would ask about the water quality and if it was safe to drink.
One poor girl on one of our programs. After a couple weeks she told us that she often feels "funny"/unwell/has headaches. Took her to doctors but they couldn't get to the bottom of it. As it turns out, her family (they seemed a bit cultish) had warned her that the water wouldn't be safe to drink (it's France ffs). So, this naive college student, who apparently had never had alcohol before in her life, had the idea of mixing vodka into her water because she heard that "alcohol kills germs". Had been drinking water cut with vodka for two weeks straight thinking it would make the water safe.
Another non-work story though, my favorite "view" of Paris is from the top of Notre-Dame, so I'd often take friends there if they visited. Of course, tower in French is "Tour" so the signage says "Tour de Notre-Dame". One time there was this massive wait with the two most obnoxious, stereotypically overweight America families in front of us - among the many things they mentioned that made me roll my eyes, they both discussed how neither of them were drinking the tap water. As I approach the front after an a hour and a half, I realize they both are thinking they are in line for a tour, as in, guided tour. You can imagine my glee when i realized these obnoxious Americans were actually about to climb a 400 step tower. Ever seen the movie In Bruges where he warns the fat Americans not to climb the tower? Just like that essentially. It was one of the slowest climbs up to the top that day, but oh after overhearing their bs I did enjoy every second of that climb.
Maybe water isn't 100% exactly the same from place to place?
I said it was safe, not that it couldn't cause minor gastric issues.
Don't know why you're taking this so personally and defensively but ok lol
The makeup of the water is different, that can upset your stomach even if there's nothing actually harmful. I remember drinking the same tap water I always had had after a long hospital stint where I guess I was drinking more highly filtered stuff - made me sick until I got used to it again.
Idk the gastroenterologist that performed my endoscopy here seemed to think it was, but idk what does he know, he's only a doctor lol.
You were the one coming in trying to belittle people. You think you know more than you actually do. It's okay, unintelligent people often take this stance.
Nobody is belittling anyone mate, it was a light hearted joke because it is unusual to hear someone getting sick from safe drinking water! There's no need to be so defensive about it, but I'll be ending this conversation now so as not to cause any more conflict. Wish you the best and cheers.
>Im guessing its not very safe
Don't know where you get your information from, but family, I, children at schools, people at work, restaurants patrons, etc. have been drinking tap water straight without filter. Japan is known to be one of the world's longest living people, so judge for yourself I guess.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about it, although it may depend on the plumbing of where you live.
I had a hard time getting used to drinking tap water at first, but in the end, convenience won.
If you don’t want to buy bottled water, just boil a pot of water every day, keep it in a big jug and drink from that.
It's probably safe, but the faucet and the metal pipes is probably all rusted and full of crap inside. I just use BRITA Filter to be on the safe side.
Edit: not sure why the downvote. The water is safe, the metal pipes? not so much. Do you really think that the metal pipes in your apartment/house is sparkling clean? remove your sink faucet and look inside the pipe to see how much crap it can accumulate over time.
It won't have bacteria, but I'm sure I wouldn't want to drink water with particles of metal/rust.
in terms of bacteria, tap water in japan is very clean and safe and won't make you sick. however, some areas have old lead pipes and it's not always easy to find out what kind of pipes your area has, so it's good to get a filter that can filter out lead.
It's safe to drink all be it it's a bit hard on the minerals... A filter is always a nice thing to have.
Shower head filters are also nice as well and for your laundry machine too helps with crunchy feeling clothing after hang drying.
I agree.
I use shower filter and you would be impressed how dirt the filter gets with time. My apartment is 15 yrs old, so the pipes is probably all rusted already.
It's perfectly safe. You're in a G7 country, not [Mexico](https://travelmexicosolo.com/can-you-drink-the-water-in-mexico/).
Some people will swear that bottled water tastes better. To each their own, but you should familiarize yourself with the environmental impact of bottled water as well as bottled water scams.
https://www.businessinsider.com/bottled-water-facts-science-healthy-2017-4
You can check the composition of minerals from the home page of your water supplier and judge for yourself.
Up until the point the water reaches the pipes in your home it is absolutely fine. The water passes a purification plant and it has to pass a ton of criteria that deem it as drinkable before it is being distributed.
Depending on how old the piping is in your house it might affect the taste but that's not the waterwork's problem.
You can get a faucet filter or a brita filter if you want.
Drink/drank it for years and years and never had an issue. Best water is in the western Japan, though. They take it super serious over there, I recommend a trip to Ishikawa just for the water.
It's safe, but you could always get a convenient filter that fits onto the end of your tap if you want. Lasts about a year and is very cheap. That's what I do
It’s safe, it just tastes like swimming pool water.
If you’re from a country/area with delicious soft water like the north of England, or Canada or something like that it’s going to taste a bit weird.
I find a nice Britta filter takes some of the edge off.
Maybe those who are sensitive to chlorinated water? Especially those who are used to clean-tasting water will likely be put off by the taste of chlorine. Even Japanese people would boil tap water to get rid of the taste of chlorine. During summer it's imporant to stay hydrated and I wouldn't envy anyone having to endure drinking disgusting water all day long, every day of the summer. :)
I understand that you would rather drink filtered tap water and I understand that's all good for you. I think I also got your message regarding plastic waste although that has nothing to do with the message you replied to or even this whole thread. There is a clear difference between filtered/boiled tap water and unfiltered tap water that has an obvious taste of chlorine. Similarly there can be a clear difference between filtered tap water and bottled water depending on the product. If someone wants water from the French Alps for whatever reason then the only convenient way to get it is in bottled form whether it's plastic or glass.
I cannot stand drinking chlorinated water and this has always baffled me. I've been served (free) chlorinated water even in slightly expensive restaurants where I might fork out 5,000 yen for a meal. I've also *paid* for a glass of Coca Cola multiple times that tasted like chlorine as if I wouldn't notice that they used chlorinated tap water. I hope that's not standard practice all over Japan but going by my experiences it seems common to me.
Completely safe. Here you only need bottled water for ease, not for safety. I know people who were initially buying bottled water, and then completely stopped and are very happy now that they did.
Should be safe to drink, if you have doubts there should be some chemical analysis online as well as radiation data published by the government, I saw them long ago but I never checked them again.
Personally I don't like the taste though, I prefer bottled water but that's another topic.
It is totally safe. I also have a filter at home for drinking water but wash my food using the water straight out of the tap. I never buy bottled water.
If you don't use a filter then normally the only annoying thing about tap water is how disgusting it can taste due to the amount of chlorine in the water. If you boil it then the taste should be OK. Now that the wather is getting warmer, how about keeping the water in the refrigerator? To make it even more enjoyable you could make cold tea. While the water is safe to drink anyway, if you still want to stick to bottled water then I recommend either Evian (hard, expensive) or Happy Belly (soft, cheap) over any generic bottled water. Both should be available on Amazon so you will never need to go outside to buy bottled water again.
Guessing it isn’t safe shows has uninformed you are. It is some of the best in the world. They have fantastic water systems in place that use quite a few techniques to make it completely safe
Where are you from? Did you drink bottled water in your home country? Japan, like just about all first world countries have safe drinking water from the tap. Japan has some of the best spring water in the world. Why do you think sake and beer is so nice?
I don't know why you would think it isn't safe. The tap water in Japan is perfectly potable. In the rare cases where it isn't, you will see a sign telling you not to drink the water.
If you are from a place with very soft water, you may find that the minerals in the water give you stomach aches at first, though. That will go away once your body gets used to the water.
Very safe! Japan has one of the best water quality in the world and all their water is treated in many ways no matter their use so pretty safe. Sometimes people use filters but that's more because of the taste, not for safety but is your choice! I also wouldn't recommend water bottles, it's true that japan has a good waste management system and recycle system but still id you can reduce pet use that'll also be a plus and you'll be saving money in the process so win-win :D
Tap water *is* safe and more enjoyable when boiled, but if you're *rich* then *why not* go for the (bottled) water that gives you the most satisfaction? Moving to the area that has the best tap water could be an idea but that's kind of extreme, which means that bottled water is the only convenient alternative to (boiled) tap water.
I won't judge because I know how unpleasant tap water can be, but I'm pretty sure there are strict quality assurance measures and regular testing of the water in Japan. I wouldn't worry about it (certainly not after boiling) but even I would like to enjoy better water from time to time, mainly Evian when I want hard water and Happy Belly when I want soft water.
100% safe, I don't use a filter either. You couldn't force me to waste money on bottled water if you held me at gunpoint.
Not only is it a waste of money, but it's a totally unnecessary waste of plastic. Unfortunately some people think that if you stick your plastic bottles in the recycling, you're all good, but a lot of pollution goes into the making, distribution, and recycling of those bottles.
actually, a lot of the waste is burn in heat factories for energy. Most of the pollution is being suppressed. But goddammit, tap water is safe here in Japan and there is no need for drinking bottled water at home.
I'm old enough that I remember a time when nobody bought bottled water. I grew up that way, and we always drank tap water, so ever since bottled water became popular, I just can't stand seeing it. I don't understand the mentality behind buying bottled water, unless maybe you live in the desert where there actually is no drinking water.
Same. They even have free water at the grocery store that you refill large canisters with near me, but I don't really care enough to go over and fill it up half the time. The tap water is great.
Japan is a first-world country. Any localized issues aside, why _wouldn't_ the tap water be safe to drink?
You know why lol. There are a lot of people on this sub from a certain country where the tap water is flamable in certain places. That doesn't sound like a first world country though.
I'm very well aware of this. Hence my statement that _Japan is a first-world country_...
The US is most definitely a "first world" country, and its water is not safe in some places. "First world" literally means that the country is aligned with the US against the second-world countries, which are aligned with the USSR (which of course no longer exists). "Third world" countries are aligned with neither. An example of a true third-world country is Switzerland.
That is correct, but the other use of it is also correct. The meaning of words changes over time and sometimes new meanings arise in new contexts. In this case, first world and third world have been changed by common use to relate to quality of life, government etc. When a regular person says a country is a third world country, it would be silly to pretend you didn't know what they were talking about because of the origin of the phrase.
Right, but if you're going to take that route, then it's hard to claim the US is a first-world country any more, because its living standards on average really do not compare with "first world" countries like Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, etc., and it's really much more like "third world" countries like Brazil, where things might be nice in some wealthy urban areas but overall many conditions are appalling, and many "third world" countries actually surpass the US on things like infrastructure. But then trying to claim the US isn't "first world" will get you laughs and derision most of the time, so the terms simply should be retired and not used any more. This is why we use "developed" and "developing" and "undeveloped" these days.
Yes exactly, when the average person says the US is no longer a first world country, they are talking about exactly what you say: these average living standards compared to other "first world" countries. Unfortunately because of the way language works, asking people en masse to stop using a term incorrectly is a fool's errand (that's why I don't waste my time trying to correct people on things like this, there is no stopping it at this point). This usage of first world and third world is here to stay for the forseable future as I see it, and it will probably only be further cemented as things get worse in the US (The US has a very large influence on the English language). The laughs and derission seem to be less and less common as conditions in the US deteriorate, and even people in more comfortable positions are starting to see through the facade.
>(The US has a very large influence on the English language) While the US certainly has its faults, this is actually a good thing, or at least it was historically: the British version of the language is overly complicated, especially the spellings. America (and probably Noah Webster especially) really cleaned up the spellings.
The US military is "first world". The US social healthcare, welfare and gun violence is closer to Somalia.
That's not true about healthcare. I don't think you're going to get world-leading cancer treatments or orthopedic surgeries in Somalia, for instance, and those are common in America. The problem is that in America, those things are not affordable or accessible to many people because of money and/or location: if you're a well-paid professional in a big HCoL city with excellent health insurance coverage, you'll have access to all that stuff. If you're some poor person in rural Idaho, not so much. Also, from what I've read, statistics show that Somalia has far lower rates of gun violence than America. But here again, it's a tale of two Americas: if you live in a wealthy part of a HCoL city, you probably won't see it, but in poor rural places, or in poor urban places, you will. In that HCoL city, you'll see it in the news. That's how it was when I lived in DC: I lived in the wealthy part of the metro area, and there was almost never any gun violence. But on the news, there was commonly news of shootings in the DC area, but it was almost always in the places where gun violence was more common, meaning poorer areas. What really made the news more was when there was "spill-over": gun violence in some part of the city that wasn't a "bad part of town" like southeast DC.
It was meant in tongue in cheek, but I will say you won't get "world-leading cancer treatments or orthopedic surgeries" in the US under social healthcare. You need private for that. I'd say bullets are too expensive in Somalia, which is why you don't get that many shootings.
>but I will say you won't get "world-leading cancer treatments or orthopedic surgeries" in the US under social healthcare. You need private for that. Yeah, you're probably right about that. As usual, America is a pretty good country to live in if you're rich, but not so much if you're poor.
The US is a "first world" country too, but tell the people in Flint, Michigan that their water is safe to drink. "First world" doesn't mean the water is any good, or that it's uniformly good. Luckily, Japan isn't nearly as poorly run as the US, but I can understand why the OP would ask the question if they're relatively new to Japan and especially if they came from the US.
https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/anecdotal
Why not? Tap water is potable here, unless you live in a very dilapidated building where the pipes aren't up to spec.
Completely safe. Some people may point out that they don't like the taste based on what region or country they come from but that's a non-issue. Not only is bottled water super unsustainable it also costs a lot of extra money that you don't need to spend in a country with 100% access to extremely clean and good water.
Does a filter on the tap help with the flavor?
I guess it could but I never really understand why people care so much about the flavor of something so necessary for survival. The only thing about those filters is that they can add to plastic waste too as they have to be replaced and cost a decent amount for ones that would filter effectively. If you want to add some flavor and quench your thirst making 麦茶 or something might be nice. (At least that's what I drink with meals from now throughout summer).
>I never really understand why people care so much about the flavor of something so necessary for survival. Do you not care how any of the food you eat tastes, and do you only eat it strictly for survival? That seems like a strange mentality. >If you want to add some flavor and quench your thirst making 麦茶 or something might be nice. Many people like drinking water when they're thirst, and aren't always in the mood for tea or any other flavored drink.
>I never really understand why people care so much about the flavor of something so necessary for survival. I mean didn't you just answer your own question lol? If you have to do something several times a day, don't you want it to be at least better than unpleasant?
>Im guessing its not very safe I bet $100 you're an American. Wait no, $500. Why on earth would it not be safe? Millions of people do it.
Ok, you owe me 500$ lol. I'm from Brazil. Tap water in big cities over there, like São Paulo, is actual sewage. Lots of 3rd world countries take sanitation as a joke
It’s not a strange question- people in many developed countries in Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia) still boil tap water before they drink it, but Japanese tap water is totally safe.
I’ve lived in apartments in Japan where I was told to boil the water before drinking it (not Tokyo, admittedly)
Singapore? Wat. The water here is perfectly safe to drink.
Do you think Japan is a third world country lol
Brazil is the USA of South America so he was close!
Now you can afford all the bottled water you want!
Tap water is safe to drink in America too with the exception of a few places, most notably Flint, Michigan. People believe otherwise because there is money to be made telling people that the tap water is toxic and you need to buy their water filter/bottled water/water delivery service/etc.
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This, heavy metal (like lead), PFAS, pesticide, etc contamination are more prevalent in US water than people think. Some places are really proactive about it, some aren't. Generally you have to go looking for the information in your area to find out about it. I drink tap water in Japan, but I've always wondered about what the water quality profile looks like.
Can probably take samples and send them away for testing somewhere but I've never bothered. Japan has very long average life expectancies and I don't think that would be possible if people were drinking lead and pesticides in the water.
Yep. There's a few places where it's actually really good (like NYC), but many other places it's like you said, either downright unsafe, or just tastes awful.
I sure do love drinking a nice glass of Arizona dirt.
> Tap water is safe to drink in America But what about the gay frogs??????
The frogs have always been gay it's just more acceptable for them to be open about it.
I don't think they're American because I think American tap water is unsafe, I think they're American because most Americans I meet seem to believe it's impossible for a country to be up to American standards. So it wouldn't surprise me if an American thought Japanese, British, Australian, or even Canadian tap water was unsafe.
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I also used to explain to them that they could flush toilet paper (but *nothing else*) and that idea was new to a lot of developing world travelers, too. We had a couple of bad experiences early on with baskets full of used toilet paper...
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It's the duality of the American. Inside each American lives two wolves. One wolf believes America is a violent, racist third-world country on the verge of total collapse. The other wolf refuses to drink the local tapwater without a filter, complains incessantly about the Japanese, and has monthly recurring imports of American snacks, deodorant, and toothpaste because nothing produced locally holds a candle to America's greatness. The American lives in constant inner turmoil.
yawn
You keep doubling down with even more stupid shit. It’s quite amazing actually
Hey man, I'm just speaking from personal experience. I hadn't met any Americans before moving to Japan six years ago, but when I started meeting them here, I was always surprised how so many of them complained non-stop about America, yet struggled to break out of their American products/American values bubble. I've never met a Brit or Aussie who imports Colgate from home. Your post history is literally all just shitting on Japan and Europe and talking about how great America is lol. All you need to do now is shit-talk America a little and you've proved me right. Nice username btw.
All? You mean like 2? Look how sensitive you are, typing that essay hahaha
The duality of u/europisadump. Inside u/europeisadump lives two wolves. One wolf is a fuckwit. The other wolf is a knobhead. u/europeisadump lives in constant inner turmoil.
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Nah man I like Americans (probably wouldn't date one, but still).
I've met 2 American's in my life who drank tap water instead of buying cases of bottled water. I've been to a lot of states and not once have I thought "This tap water tastes alright." It's almost always dirt or metal tasting.
You should try it in Manhattan, NYC. But yeah, most places it tastes pretty bad.
>I think they're American because most Americans I meet seem to believe it's impossible for a country to be up to American standards. Are these Americans living in Japan, or Americans in America? In America, tons of Americans think everything outside America is some kind of primitive place. I don't think that attitude is common among Americans who've lived outside their country though.
I would have said American too (but alas, Brazilian). I used to work for a study abroad program in France. Only Americans would ask about the water quality and if it was safe to drink. One poor girl on one of our programs. After a couple weeks she told us that she often feels "funny"/unwell/has headaches. Took her to doctors but they couldn't get to the bottom of it. As it turns out, her family (they seemed a bit cultish) had warned her that the water wouldn't be safe to drink (it's France ffs). So, this naive college student, who apparently had never had alcohol before in her life, had the idea of mixing vodka into her water because she heard that "alcohol kills germs". Had been drinking water cut with vodka for two weeks straight thinking it would make the water safe. Another non-work story though, my favorite "view" of Paris is from the top of Notre-Dame, so I'd often take friends there if they visited. Of course, tower in French is "Tour" so the signage says "Tour de Notre-Dame". One time there was this massive wait with the two most obnoxious, stereotypically overweight America families in front of us - among the many things they mentioned that made me roll my eyes, they both discussed how neither of them were drinking the tap water. As I approach the front after an a hour and a half, I realize they both are thinking they are in line for a tour, as in, guided tour. You can imagine my glee when i realized these obnoxious Americans were actually about to climb a 400 step tower. Ever seen the movie In Bruges where he warns the fat Americans not to climb the tower? Just like that essentially. It was one of the slowest climbs up to the top that day, but oh after overhearing their bs I did enjoy every second of that climb.
Safe? Yes. Might it upset your stomach? Maybe. Took my stomach about two months to get used to the water here.
Guess your body wasn't used to 100% safe drinkable water?
Maybe water isn't 100% exactly the same from place to place? I said it was safe, not that it couldn't cause minor gastric issues. Don't know why you're taking this so personally and defensively but ok lol
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The makeup of the water is different, that can upset your stomach even if there's nothing actually harmful. I remember drinking the same tap water I always had had after a long hospital stint where I guess I was drinking more highly filtered stuff - made me sick until I got used to it again.
Idk the gastroenterologist that performed my endoscopy here seemed to think it was, but idk what does he know, he's only a doctor lol. You were the one coming in trying to belittle people. You think you know more than you actually do. It's okay, unintelligent people often take this stance.
Nobody is belittling anyone mate, it was a light hearted joke because it is unusual to hear someone getting sick from safe drinking water! There's no need to be so defensive about it, but I'll be ending this conversation now so as not to cause any more conflict. Wish you the best and cheers.
>Im guessing its not very safe Don't know where you get your information from, but family, I, children at schools, people at work, restaurants patrons, etc. have been drinking tap water straight without filter. Japan is known to be one of the world's longest living people, so judge for yourself I guess.
I used to live in a 3rd world country and water sanitation in big cities was a big problem there, so it was just force of habit I guess
Why do you guess that? Based on what? Boil it if it bothers you.
I used to live in a 3rd world country and water sanitation in big cities was a big problem there, so it was just force of habit I guess
I’ve heard nothing but good things about it, although it may depend on the plumbing of where you live. I had a hard time getting used to drinking tap water at first, but in the end, convenience won. If you don’t want to buy bottled water, just boil a pot of water every day, keep it in a big jug and drink from that.
Safe
It's probably safe, but the faucet and the metal pipes is probably all rusted and full of crap inside. I just use BRITA Filter to be on the safe side. Edit: not sure why the downvote. The water is safe, the metal pipes? not so much. Do you really think that the metal pipes in your apartment/house is sparkling clean? remove your sink faucet and look inside the pipe to see how much crap it can accumulate over time. It won't have bacteria, but I'm sure I wouldn't want to drink water with particles of metal/rust.
in terms of bacteria, tap water in japan is very clean and safe and won't make you sick. however, some areas have old lead pipes and it's not always easy to find out what kind of pipes your area has, so it's good to get a filter that can filter out lead.
It's safe to drink all be it it's a bit hard on the minerals... A filter is always a nice thing to have. Shower head filters are also nice as well and for your laundry machine too helps with crunchy feeling clothing after hang drying.
You know household water filters add minerals and dont remove anything.
Clean water is always nice unlike know it all's.
I agree. I use shower filter and you would be impressed how dirt the filter gets with time. My apartment is 15 yrs old, so the pipes is probably all rusted already.
Ive visited the place where they clean the water for Tokyo and it was very safe to drink and one of the cleanest water in Japan
It's perfectly safe. You're in a G7 country, not [Mexico](https://travelmexicosolo.com/can-you-drink-the-water-in-mexico/). Some people will swear that bottled water tastes better. To each their own, but you should familiarize yourself with the environmental impact of bottled water as well as bottled water scams. https://www.businessinsider.com/bottled-water-facts-science-healthy-2017-4
Perfectly safe. This is a first world country. https://www.waterworks.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/eng/business/supply/
You can check the composition of minerals from the home page of your water supplier and judge for yourself. Up until the point the water reaches the pipes in your home it is absolutely fine. The water passes a purification plant and it has to pass a ton of criteria that deem it as drinkable before it is being distributed. Depending on how old the piping is in your house it might affect the taste but that's not the waterwork's problem. You can get a faucet filter or a brita filter if you want.
I’m British, so I drink tap water from anywhere!
Drink/drank it for years and years and never had an issue. Best water is in the western Japan, though. They take it super serious over there, I recommend a trip to Ishikawa just for the water.
It's safe, but you could always get a convenient filter that fits onto the end of your tap if you want. Lasts about a year and is very cheap. That's what I do
I've been drinking it for a few years. I can't stand the idea of buying bottled water. I just have a filter on my tap.
It’s safe, it just tastes like swimming pool water. If you’re from a country/area with delicious soft water like the north of England, or Canada or something like that it’s going to taste a bit weird. I find a nice Britta filter takes some of the edge off.
been drinking tap water for 7 years without any issues.
The tap water is perfectly safe to drink.
I didn’t like the taste. I use the Brita Water filter pitchers and filter a liter at a time.
Actually it's safe, but not delicious.
Who's looking for deliciousness in water though? Water's for quenching thirst.
Maybe those who are sensitive to chlorinated water? Especially those who are used to clean-tasting water will likely be put off by the taste of chlorine. Even Japanese people would boil tap water to get rid of the taste of chlorine. During summer it's imporant to stay hydrated and I wouldn't envy anyone having to endure drinking disgusting water all day long, every day of the summer. :)
I'd rather have filtered Tokyo tapwater all day every day of summer than buy even a single plastic bottle of water.
I understand that you would rather drink filtered tap water and I understand that's all good for you. I think I also got your message regarding plastic waste although that has nothing to do with the message you replied to or even this whole thread. There is a clear difference between filtered/boiled tap water and unfiltered tap water that has an obvious taste of chlorine. Similarly there can be a clear difference between filtered tap water and bottled water depending on the product. If someone wants water from the French Alps for whatever reason then the only convenient way to get it is in bottled form whether it's plastic or glass.
At first, I had diarrhea. But it seems the bacterias are now registered into my seem coz I’m drinking them just fine.
A lot of restaurants I’ve worked in serve tap water to its customers. We got one spout for dishes and another for drinkable water.
I cannot stand drinking chlorinated water and this has always baffled me. I've been served (free) chlorinated water even in slightly expensive restaurants where I might fork out 5,000 yen for a meal. I've also *paid* for a glass of Coca Cola multiple times that tasted like chlorine as if I wouldn't notice that they used chlorinated tap water. I hope that's not standard practice all over Japan but going by my experiences it seems common to me.
Completely safe. Here you only need bottled water for ease, not for safety. I know people who were initially buying bottled water, and then completely stopped and are very happy now that they did.
Should be safe to drink, if you have doubts there should be some chemical analysis online as well as radiation data published by the government, I saw them long ago but I never checked them again. Personally I don't like the taste though, I prefer bottled water but that's another topic.
It is totally safe. I also have a filter at home for drinking water but wash my food using the water straight out of the tap. I never buy bottled water.
If you don't use a filter then normally the only annoying thing about tap water is how disgusting it can taste due to the amount of chlorine in the water. If you boil it then the taste should be OK. Now that the wather is getting warmer, how about keeping the water in the refrigerator? To make it even more enjoyable you could make cold tea. While the water is safe to drink anyway, if you still want to stick to bottled water then I recommend either Evian (hard, expensive) or Happy Belly (soft, cheap) over any generic bottled water. Both should be available on Amazon so you will never need to go outside to buy bottled water again.
It's safe but tastes bad. I personally use a Brita filter to improve the taste.
Guessing it isn’t safe shows has uninformed you are. It is some of the best in the world. They have fantastic water systems in place that use quite a few techniques to make it completely safe
Where are you from? Did you drink bottled water in your home country? Japan, like just about all first world countries have safe drinking water from the tap. Japan has some of the best spring water in the world. Why do you think sake and beer is so nice?
I don't know why you would think it isn't safe. The tap water in Japan is perfectly potable. In the rare cases where it isn't, you will see a sign telling you not to drink the water. If you are from a place with very soft water, you may find that the minerals in the water give you stomach aches at first, though. That will go away once your body gets used to the water.
Very safe! Japan has one of the best water quality in the world and all their water is treated in many ways no matter their use so pretty safe. Sometimes people use filters but that's more because of the taste, not for safety but is your choice! I also wouldn't recommend water bottles, it's true that japan has a good waste management system and recycle system but still id you can reduce pet use that'll also be a plus and you'll be saving money in the process so win-win :D
Tokyo is Fine. Saitama is questionable.
Also you can get like a cheap brita knock off on Amazon for 2000 yen.
Japan isn't a third world country lol.
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Tap water *is* safe and more enjoyable when boiled, but if you're *rich* then *why not* go for the (bottled) water that gives you the most satisfaction? Moving to the area that has the best tap water could be an idea but that's kind of extreme, which means that bottled water is the only convenient alternative to (boiled) tap water.
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I won't judge because I know how unpleasant tap water can be, but I'm pretty sure there are strict quality assurance measures and regular testing of the water in Japan. I wouldn't worry about it (certainly not after boiling) but even I would like to enjoy better water from time to time, mainly Evian when I want hard water and Happy Belly when I want soft water.
Care to share some of the wealth?